News

Doctoral oral exams for Feb. 11-15

The graduate dean invites all graduate faculty to attend the final oral examinations for the doctoral candidates scheduled as follows:

German Colon, Ph.D., Physics. Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2:30 p.m., 1033 Lederle Graduate Research Tower. Dissertation: “Search for TeV-Scale Gravity Signatures in Final States with Leptons and Jets with the ATLAS Detector at sqrt(s)=8 TeV.” Carlo Dallapiccola, chr.

Jeffrey Muttart, Ph.D., Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. Friday, Feb.

New course proposal

The following new course proposal has been submitted to the Faculty Senate Office for review and approval and is listed here for faculty review and comment. Comments on any new course proposal should be submitted to Ernest May, secretary of the Faculty Senate, at senate@senate.umass.edu.

CMPSCI 119, “Introduction to Programming,” 3 credits; Instructor: William T. Verts; An introduction to computer programming with multimedia applications. Students will create Python programs to process image, video, and audio data. No prior programming experience expected. Not open to CMPSCI majors.

Retired Faculty Association meeting includes lecture by Baker

Erin Baker, associate professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, will be the featured speaker at the next meeting of the Retired Faculty Association on Wednesday, Feb. 13 in 101 Campus Center. She will discuss “Energy Technology R&D Policy in Response to Climate Change.”
 
The meeting begins at 10 a.m. with refreshments, followed by business and announcements from 10:15-10:30, when Joel Martin, vice provost and dean of faculty, will give a short presentation on “Faculty Development.” Baker’s lecture starts at 11.
 
 
 

Diversity trainer Lee Mun Wah to present all-day program

The Five College Diversity and Dialogue Initiatives Group is sponsoring an all-day program titled "An Unfinished Conversation" with Lee Mun Wah, the Chinese-American documentary filmmaker, author, poet and educator, on Tuesday, Feb. 12 in the Student Union Ballroom. 

He will give a keynote address at 9 a.m. and present a workshop open to all Five College students at 10, and another workshop for Five College faculty and staff at 1 p.m.  He will also screen his latest film, "If These Walls Could Talk," at 7 p.m.
 
There is limited availability per campus. Register by Feb. 6 at

University Health Services earns reaccreditations

University Health Services (UHS) has been reaccredited by two independent national organizations recognized as standard-bearers for healthcare excellence.
 
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) granted UHS a three-year term, the maximum possible as a result of the voluntary accreditation process. The UHS Laboratory was also reaccredited by COLA, a leading medical laboratory consultation, education and accreditation organization, for its maximum two-year term.
 
The AAAHC is the preeminent leader in developing standards which advance quality healthcare in ambulatory

New website highlights campus sustainability efforts

A new interactive website, the Campus Sustainability Explorer, is allowing students, faculty, staff and the public to click on more than 100 icons to read about “green” buildings, research programs in sustainability, a student farmers’ market and related topics.
 
Bill Stanton, the Sustainability Explorer’s lead designer and developer, says, “a powerful tool like this is intended to serve as a vehicle for educational outreach.

Smith honored for promoting literacy

Cristine Smith, associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Policy, Research and Administration, has been named the recipient of the Kenneth J. Mattran Award for Promoting Literacy Nationally and Internationally by the Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE).
 
The award is given to a practitioner with five or more years of adult education teaching experience who participates in school and community activities, who understands the characteristics of the adult learner and who is committed to the adult/continuing education profession.
 
Smith will receive the

Cordeiro keynotes MLK Day event in Somerville

Lorraine Cordeiro, assistant professor of Nutrition, gave the keynote address for Somerville’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration, “equality Through Access,” on Jan. 21.
 
Cordeiro discussed her research on food insecurity among underrepresented groups in Massachusetts. She also spoke about her community work with King’s oldest daughter, the late Yolanda King, and encouraged the audience to embrace a broader definition of who is considered to be American.
 

Alvarez receives Fulbright award for research on feminism in Brazil

Sonia E. Alvarez, Leonard J. Horwitz Professor of Latin American Politics in the Department of Political Science and director of the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies (CLACLS), has received a Fulbright Lecturer/Research Award to support her research on feminism in Brazil.

"Feminism in Brazil today not only has been 'mainstreamed' so that it extends vertically across different levels of government, the full party spectrum, and a variety of national and international policy arenas," says Alvarez.

Panel to highlight research and engagement projects in Springfield

Three social scientists who are engaged in projects in Springfield will discuss their work at the first Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) “Research in Process Panel” of the spring semester on Thursday, Feb. 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Amherst Room of the Campus Center. Lunch will be served. RSVP to Karen Mason by Feb. 4.
 
In 2010, officials from campus and Springfield formalized a new Greater Springfield-University of Massachusetts Amherst Partnership designed to promote collaborations that will lead to the revitalization of Springfield’s economy.

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